Budget plan also focuses on downtown redevelopment including $11.8 million for Jacksonville Landing

Calling Jacksonville a “city of opportunity” that needs a well-timed infusion of government investment, Mayor Alvin Brown unveiled a proposed 2014-15 budget Monday that would boost spending for an array of projects and programs.

“It’s about getting the best return on our investment for the next generation,” Brown told the City Council as he ticked off his priorities — including downtown redevelopment, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the library system — that would benefit from his spending plan.

“We have reached the point in the life of our community when we must seize the moment to use our resources to make not only a better today, but also a better tomorrow,” Brown said.

Brown said his budget wouldn’t require a tax rate increase.

City Council members reacted skeptically about how he would pay for it — issuing up to $230 million in debt and tapping $16.8 million from budget reserves.

“Using $16 million from the city’s emergency reserves to go on an election-year spree is the height of irresponsible spending,” said Councilman Robin Lumb, referring to the upcoming city elections in March 2015. “… I don’t see this budget passing intact and I would be shocked if the council looked at dipping into the emergency reserves.”

Council President Clay Yarborough said he’s concerned about using a one-time funding source from the reserves to pay for costs that will continue for years. Councilman John Crescimbeni said he’s supported building up the reserves in recent years and doesn’t think it’s the right time to reverse course.

As for a proposed increase in borrowing through the city’s banking fund, Crescimbeni said, “I have two four-letter words. The second one you can’t print and the first one is ‘holy.’ ”

Chief Financial Officer Ronnie Belton said the city can afford to use some money from reserves this year without hurting the city’s bond rating or its basic financial soundness.

The city’s reserves have grown from $107.7 million in September 2011 — which is around the time when Brown took office — to $145.3 million in September 2013, according to the Mayor’s Office.

Belton said even after taking $16.8 million from reserves, the city still will have more than it did a few years ago.

Chris Hand, chief of staff for Brown, said even though the economic recovery will generate more local and state tax revenue for the city, that’s offset by “mandatory expense increases” such as pension costs, workers compensation coverage, health care, and administering elections in the coming year.

Brown made downtown redevelopment a focus by asking the council to set aside about $24 million for projects. The biggest share would be $11.8 million for redevelopment of The Jacksonville Landing. Brown said the city’s money would go toward improvements in public areas along the Landing’s site on the riverfront.

Brown’s plan would allow the Sheriff’s Office to hire another 40 police officers and 40 community service officers, civilian employees used to handle minor calls that don’t require a lawman.

The Sheriff’s Office eliminated its community service officers during budget cuts in 2012, and Sheriff John Rutherford said he wasn’t sure how fast his agency could hire and outfit a new crop of service officers.

Rutherford called the new hires “a start that is reasonable within our budget constraints,” but stressed that other police jobs had been cut as well.

“This is only 40 out of 147 officers,” he said, adding that there had been 92 service officers at one point. “It’s a good start, but we still have a lot of work to do.”

Brown backed $750,000 for the first phase of a proposed makeover of the streets and sidewalks in the Five Points cluster of stores and restaurants.

Many of the projects he backed fell into that price range of several hundred thousand dollars or a couple of million dollars. For instance, there were 16 items for a total of almost $10 million for construction of park improvements around the city.

He backed adding $665,000 to the Jacksonville Children’s Commission for the expansion of programs such as summer camps and summer jobs for young people.

The capital plan included $200,000 to go towards buying land at 13th Street and Moncrief Road, an area with a long history of drug sales and outdoor crime where Councilwoman Denise Lee has focused efforts on reducing what she calls “human blight” that she has said makes the neighborhood less attractive and less safe for the community around it.

Brown’s proposed budget would keep the current tax rate of 11.4419 mills. For the owner of a $150,000 home with a $50,000 homestead exemption, that equates to $1,144 city tax bill.

After Brown finished his budget address, City Councilman Bill Gulliford asked Brown if the mayor’s decision to base his budget on the current property tax rate — which amounted to a 14 percent tax rate increase when the City Council enacted it last year to generate $61 million and avoid deep service cuts — is an endorsement of the council’s decision to take that step.

It's good to hear some fiscally responsible statements from members of city council. Too bad a bunch of horses already left the barn.

Mr Mayor has just begun to understand that some of his early term dismissals of the Sheriff are ringing true. It's unfortunate that innocent lives have been lost as a result, but it is time to break out the honesty and figure out a plan to achieve the goal of crime reduction for our home.